


little children, little children

by twinSky



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Canon Compliant, Fluff and Humor, Gen, I cannot stress this enough, do not open this fic for the pairing it is not relevant, kids being kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:35:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23772400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twinSky/pseuds/twinSky
Summary: Yuya had always known that his mother had not given birth to him, that there was no blood between him and his parents. He didn’t really care, they loved him all the same.What Yuya didn’t know, was apparently that wasn’t the case for everyone.(Or, four kids have a conversation on where babies come from)
Relationships: suggested/discussed Crow Hogan/Shinji Weber
Comments: 3
Kudos: 37





	little children, little children

**Author's Note:**

> i'm going to debate deleting that relationship tag for a week because it's gonna be a fight between 'why would u put this in that tag' vs 'you need to let people know what's in a fic in case they want to avoid it' who knows who will win
> 
> Welcome to a fic brought to you by episodes 127/128, yeah sure Yusho doesn't know but you're telling me Yoko, mom of the decade, wouldn't evenutally notice she didn't remember giving birth to her son? That the topic of what hospital Yuya was born at never came up in his life? It's just unrealistic. Takes place during the very beginning of the Synchro arc because it's the last point at which things are relatively normal, and also gives me Crow and Shinji to kick off an otherwise random conversation
> 
> Also this is the most lighthearted thing I've written in literally 4 years take that as you will.
> 
> beta-ed/edited by [Apple](https://twitter.com/thematchalight)!

Sawatari sighs, sprawled across the table with his head pressed against the table moaning woefully about… something. Yuya was kind of tuning him out, he didn’t really seem too upset as much as wanting to complain, so it was probably fine. Serena gave him a disgusted look, which he might’ve found kind of funny in any other situation, before shifting her gaze back out the window watching who knows what.

He reaches up to grab his pendulum, resisting his own urge to sigh. While it was well and good that Crow had offered them a place to stay it doesn’t change the fact that they’re pretty much lost here. They don’t know where the others are and have no idea what they’re supposed to be doing here. Reiji had told them to find allies but… where do you even start with asking someone to join an Interdimensional War? Yuya would rather not involve anyone but Reiji is right, just the nine of them could never hope to take down the entirety of Academia.

And that’s an important issue, and Yuya definitely plans on figuring out… something on that end but if he’s honest right now he’s more worried about Reira right now. The poor kid seems heartbroken about not being with Reiji, and sitting on the couch curled up around a donut Shinji had all but forced into their hands, they seem deceptively smaller than usual.

How’s Yuya supposed to fix things if he can’t make one little kid smile?

Reira, as if sensing Yuya’s thoughts, looks up at him meeting his eyes for one drawn out moment before sinking right back down. This time, he doesn’t stop the sigh.

Maybe he’ll join Sawatari in bemoaning his life on the table and it’ll make Serena mad enough to like, throw them out of the house or kick them both maybe. That’ll shake him out of his funk. Of course, sadly expressing his woes won’t bring joy to anyone, so that doesn’t seem useful.

A duel? Sawatari can be over the top but he does enjoy the good spirit of an entertainment duel. The kids will like it, maybe it’ll even get Reira to forget about Reiji and everything else for a second.

His thoughts halt as Serena speaks, eyes still turned towards the window. “Hey,” she says, gaze finally flickering away from the window and to them, “Do you think Crow and Shinji are dating?”

“Huh?” Sawatari says, sitting up to stare at Serena.

“I mean,” she says, voice pitching oddly, “they’re just really close, no one in Academia ever hung out that closely together. But I’ve heard the other kids mention dating before so I thought maybe…”

“You don’t know what dating is?” It’s not like Yuya has a wide range of experience with it, but he at least knows what it is.

“A soldier has no need for romance.” Serena says, in that tone of voice she gets where it sounds like she’s reciting something rather than speaking.

Yuya doesn’t know what to reply to that, and Reira lets out what sounds like a whine.

“Well!” Sawatari says, hands landing a bit too harshly on the table and all eyes shoot to him. “If they were it’d be a gain for gay men everywhere, they are quite handsome.”

“You think so?” Serena replies, squinting her eyes as she stares back out the window, Yuya suspects by now that she is creepily spying on them. Should he tell her to stop?

“I know so,” Sawatari says, nodding sagely, “shame for all the cute babies that’ll never be born if it’s true.”

“What?” Yuya asks, brows furrowing, “What do babies have to do with them dating?”

The look Sawatari sends him is incredulous but Serena looks just as confused. “You’re joking right?”

“No” he says, in the same moment Serena says; “I don’t get it either.”

Sawatari shifts uncomfortably but Serena is now watching him intently, taking a seat at the table. Even Reira, whether through interest or just noticing everyone else is, joins as well.

“Well, well you need a mother and a father to have a child!” He blusters, cheeks burning red.

“Why?” Serena asks as Reira leans forward, the same question clear on their face. It’s the most non-panicked active Yuya has seen them since they got here.

“Don’t you guys have parents to explain this to you?” Sawatari whines.

“I was raised in Academia, I’ve never had ‘parents.’” Serena replies easily, saying the word ‘parents’ with the same amount of confusion Yuya gives to his vocab words in English class.

“The Akabas found me.” Reira says quietly, hands clutched together and Yuya leans over to put a hand on their shoulder. They still for a moment before relaxing a bit.

Sawatari turns pleading eyes on him. “You’re just running a joke right? For the entertainment value? You know what I’m talking about, don’t you?”

Yuya shrugs, “My mother said I was left on their doorstep in a basket with nothing but a duel monster card.”

“ _And you believed her?”_

“Well, yeah, why would she lie to me?” He shrugs again, “Besides, isn’t everyone like that?”

“What?” Sawatari sputters, “Of course not.”

“I think that’s what happened with me.” Serena says, looking pensive.

“See,” Yuya says proudly, “It was like that with Yuzu too.”

“That’s not normal,” Sawatari hisses, still looking like he’s waiting for someone to jump out and call the whole thing a joke, “how are all three – four if you count Yuzu – believing this.” His gaze flickers to Reira, “Well, Reira’s a kid so that’s fine I guess.”

“Why’s their age make a difference?” Serena asks and Sawatari flushes.

“Because… Because! Seriously how do neither of you know this.”

“Where do babies come from then?” Reira asks, looking at Sawatari with wide curious eyes.

Sawatari’s face somehow flushes an even deeper red, as he buries his face in his hands.

Yuya clears his throat, well, if Sawatari won’t say it then he will.

“Babies are brought by the stork when parents are ready.” He says sagely, “my mother still has the basket I came in.”

“Really?” Reira asks, something close to childish wonder in their expression and it kind of makes Yuya want to snap a picture.

“Yeah! I’ve seen it before, I think it’s still in the attic.”

“Then where are my parents?” Serena asks, looking more considering than concerned.

“Maybe the stork dropped you by accident.” Reira offers softly as Serena nods.

“That would make sense, I suppose it’s good that the professor found me then.” Yuya wouldn’t say that’s a _good_ thing, but it’s better than just being lost all alone.

“Are all of you _crazy?_ ” Sawatari groans, throwing his hands up, “Who told you this? How old were you?”

“Uh, seven or eight?” Yuya replies thinking back. “It was some school assignment, to get to know each other or something? We were supposed to present it the next day, I think. It asked what hospital I was born at and that’s when she told me I wasn’t born in a hospital.”

“What a pointless assignment.” Serena mutters and Yuya nods absently.

“Yeah, mom just stared at it for a real long time before she shook her head and told me that the stork brought me to her and dad.”

“And the next day?” Sawatari asks weakly, once again slumped over the table. “When you went to school and everyone presented?”

“Oh! Uh, I didn’t, mom took me to Yuzu’s the next day and we presented to our parents. That’s how I know Yuzu’s just like me, I heard her say it!”

Sawatari groans as Reira and Serena nod.

“I wish the stork left me somewhere nicer.” Reira mumbles, and Yuya’s hand, still resting on Reira’s shoulder, curls a bit tighter.

“Well you’re here with us now, right?” Yuya says cheerily, “So maybe the stork always knew you’d end up here.”

“That’d be nice,” Reira says, ducking their head, “You guys are all really nice.”

Yuya grins, and then grins even wider when Serena and Sawatari sputter and blush.

“Whatever!” Sawatari exclaims, throwing his hands up, “Fine, you’re right! We all get left on doorsteps by some s _tork_ or whatever. I give up!”

“What do you give up on?” Crow’s voice comes from the doorway, watching them with mild suspicion.

“Crow!” Sawatari exclaims, gesturing at the other dramatically, vigor restored. “My saving grace, my heaven-sent angel, you’re an adult you know the truth, right?”

“What.” He says flatly.

“We’re talking about where babies come from.” Serena offers and they watch in transfixed fascination as Crow’s face goes slack, nearly dropping the bags he’s holding as he stumbles back. Shinji, coming in at the same moment, catches him by the shoulders and steadies him.

“Why are you talking about that?” Crow asks, voice thin and high.

“Sawatari said that you and Shinji couldn’t have babies together.” Serena shrugs which seems to confuse Crow even more and even Shinji turns a light shade of pink.

“ _I didn’t say that_!”

“You basically did.” She says as Reira nods in agreement.

“Et tu, Reira?” Sawatari bemoans clutching a hand to his chest in a way Yuya can’t help but laugh at.

“Ignore him,” Serena huffs, “answer the question.”

“Storks.” Shinji says flatly as Crow chokes. “I mean, just look at all these kids we’re taking care of. The stork left them by accident and we had to pick ‘em up.”

“ _Oh my god._ ” Sawatari moans, collapsing onto the ground.

“I told you!” Yuya says, moving to crouch beside Sawatari, patting him gently on the back. “Told you my mom wouldn’t lie to me.”

“No, no, you’re right, of course how could I be so mistaken.” Sawatari mumbles into the wood. “Of course I’m wrong, a stork left me on my parents doorstep because that doesn’t make sense. But that makes _perfect_ sense because nothing about anything right now makes sense so nothing ever should, be it past, present, or future.”

“Sawatari?” Yuya asks hesitantly, just a bit concerned.

Sawatari shoots up, displacing Yuya’s hand with a yelp and clasping him by the shoulders. “I get it now Yuya, I’m just never going to question anything again, that’ll make this whole thing easier.”

“Er, okay?”

“Great!” He says with a grin, “Now that that’s settled, let’s figure out what we should do, because I don’t think I can sit around here anymore.”

“Now you’re talking,” Serena says with a wide grin, “I need some action.”

“You all are a weird bunch.” Shinji says with a sigh, Crow still standing still and straight beside him.

“A weird bunch called the Lancers.” Sawatari says proudly and Reira’s eyes shine a bit at the reminder of their brother’s team.

“Whatever.” Shinji says with a dismissive wave, just as Crow snaps back into reality.

“Plan your stuff later, it’s almost dinner time and if you’re staying you gotta help.” He says and it makes the two of them sigh but move over without argument.

Yuya stands with a groan, stretching his legs as he moves to walk over to the rest of them, but a tug on his shirt stops him. He looks over his shoulder, spotting Reira holding it loosely between their fingers.

“Reira?”

“… Thanks”

“Oh! You’re welcome,” he says automatically, then pauses, “for what?”

Reira shrugs, not lifting their head. “Just thanks.”

Yuya grins, “Any time, now come on let’s see how we can help.”

There’s still a lot of questions, still a lot they don’t know. But for now they have each other, and hopefully soon the rest of them and together they’ll figure something out. No need to worry too hard until then.

-

(Later, much later, as everything races towards the end and the Professor looks down at him with unyielding eyes as he calls him a demon, tells his father he’s not Yuya’s father, he lets the words slide off. It doesn’t matter if it’s true, if Yuya is a demon or whatever, his parents love him, they’ve cared for him. And his mother has always told him that blood is not the definition of family, it is love and care. Whatever Yuya is and isn’t is up to him, and Yuya is no demon. He is the child of two parents who love him and friend to so many who have supported him.

In the end, that doesn’t stop everything from happening, but in the moment, it’s all the support he can ask for.)

**Author's Note:**

> Expanding more on my above A/N i was thinking about how Shuzo clearly has an inkling of things being weird in episode 128 but when Yuzu asks about the bracelet in the beginning seems conflicted again. So I decided that perhaps Ray's influence actively surpresses the action of like, remembering things that would make you suspcious about the bracelet girls and yu4? Like you may question things but your mind glosses it over, makes you eventually forget. That memory Yuya mentions, the rest of them have forgotten about it by now, thus why Shuzo and Yuzu still have that conversation about the bracelet. Why does Yuya remember? The part of him that's Zarc latches onto the fact that something about this world is wrong and that strength is more than Ray's for that one little detail. Of course, Yuya thinks of it as something fine and positive so it's no big deal. And by the time canon rolls around so much shit is going on that the worlds kind of falling apart, and Ray (her magic? wish? eh) can't support that kind of memory dealio anymore.
> 
> As always, thanks for reading!  
> [Tumblr](http://twinsky.tumblr.com)/[Twitter](https://twitter.com/twinsky72)


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